SCONUL Succession Planning Report
02 October 2026 
Noura Mokhtar, Project Manager
| SCONUL Succession Planning Report We are pleased to share the findings of SCONUL’s Succession Planning Survey, exploring the career aspirations, experiences and development needs of colleagues progressing towards senior leadership roles within our member libraries. The findings provide a valuable insight into the future leadership pipeline for the sector. While 27% of respondents currently aspire to become a library director, a significant proportion remain uncertain about taking that step. The report explores some of the reasons behind this, including workload and work–life balance, organisational politics, geography and personal circumstances, as well as uncertainty about the nature of the director role itself. |
A particularly strong message from the research is the importance of practical, experience-based development. Opportunities to deputise or act up, take on secondments, contribute to institutional strategy and organisational change, and engage with senior university leaders are highly valued. Mentoring, coaching, peer networks and shadowing also emerge as important forms of support.
The report raises important questions for us as current library leaders about how we develop and support the next generation of leaders, and how we create opportunities for colleagues to gain the breadth of experience they need to progress.
This is the first stage of SCONUL’s work on succession planning. We will be building on the findings through further research and discussion to inform recommendations and consider how SCONUL can best support leadership development across the sector.
We hope you find the report useful and would very much welcome your reflections on the findings.